Brewster County Sheriff Ronny Dodson told the Gazette human remains were found in a shallow grave near Sunny Glen, to the northwest of Alpine. A Border Patrol agent the remains at about 10 am today.

Dodson could not confirm the gender of the remains. Dodson said the remains will be taken to Dallas for identification and would not speculate further as to the remains’ identity.

Dodson said teams will be working on site today and possibly into tomorro

Brewster County Sheriff’s Department issued the following statement about the find on its Facebook page:

“At approximately 10:00 a.m. the Brewster County Sheriff’s Office received a phone call from a US Border Patrol Agent, reporting what appeared to be the appearance of a shallow grave. The Border Patrol Agent was servicing some equipment in the Sunny Glenn area when he came up on the mound. The Sheriff’s Office have secured the area and it currently gathering and preparing evidence. Sheriff Dodson has confirmed that human remains and bones were found at the scene. Forensic teams and analysts from San Angelo and El Paso are currently arriving on the scene. Sheriff Dodson has stated that a positive I.D. may not be made until early next week, Monday or Tuesday likely. Please stay tuned for more information.”

U.S. Customs and Border Patrol issued this statement: “While performing normal Border Patrol operations, Alpine Border Patrol agents discovered human remains near Alpine, Texas. State and local law enforcement agencies were contacted and the investigation was turned over to them.